CHORUS
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
And if you see a sailing ship, it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run-ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

Me father often told me when I was just a lad
A sailor's life is very hard, the food is always bad
But now I've joined the navy, I'm aboard a man-o-war
And now I find a sailor ain't a sailor any more!

CHORUS

Well, the killick of our mess he says we had it soft
It wasn't like that in his day when we were up aloft
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?

CHORUS

They gave us an engine that first went up and down,
Then with more technology the engine went around,
We're good with steam and diesel but what's a mainyard for?
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel any more!

CHORUS

They gave us an Aldiss Lamp, we can do it right,
They gave us a radio, we signal day and night,
We know our codes and ciphers but what's a 'sema' for?
A 'bunting-tosser' doesn't toss the bunting any more!

CHORUS

Two cans of beer a day and that's your bleeding lot
And now we've got an extra one because they stopped The Tot
So we'll put on our civvy-clothes and find a pub ashore
A sailor's just a sailor just like he was before

CHORUS x 2